the lights are so bright, but they never blind me
by arilovexo
Summary: In which Austin takes Ally and all their friends to New York for the first time and Ally falls in love with it and realizes just how magical and amazing the city really is. Austin/Ally


_Okay so this story is based on my amazing (and truly magical) time in New York City. I love this place and the fact that Taylor Swift wrote a song about it. Holy crap. I'm obsessed with it. _

_I had originally written this ages ago, like when I first moved out here, but after hearing the song, I decided to continue it. _

_It's long and it's just one chapter. I'm not writing more to it. But I put in a special guest (guess who it is :]) and yeah. I hope you enjoy it as much as I love writing it! _

_I don't own anything. _

* * *

Her eyes grew wide as she watched the blur of yellow taxi cabs fly by theirs, the color almost mesmerizing as she looked out of her window and saw, for the first time in her entire life, the city.

Ally had never been to New York, actually, she had never really visited anywhere outside of Florida, except for California once when she was a child; too young to remember it and too young for it to have an impact on her. Her father was very overprotective of her, she never really knew why, but she figured it had something to do with the fact that she never had a mother growing up. All she knew was that her mother had left her at a young age. Again, too young for her to remember it and too young for it to have an impact on her. Or, over what happened in her grade nine year of high school. Something that not even her closest friends (but one) knew about.

"Is this real life?" She turned to her friends, Trish, Dez, Carrie, Cassidy, Jace, and the most important (guy) friend in her life, Austin. Austin was the one who was sitting right beside her and he nodded, resting his arm around the back of her seat and shifting so that he was more comfortable.

"Believe it, Ally, it's real." He smiled at her and she smiled back at her.

She figured this would help a lot with her writing and was so excited to write a new song, she couldn't sit still.

"I just can't believe your father let you come on this trip with us," Trish commented. Ally nodded and looked down at her hands, playing with her fingers.

She knew her dad loved her to death, but sometimes it was too much, even for her. To say convincing him to allow her to come on this trip was easy, would be a lie. She had begged him for weeks before he finally agreed to it. And it was all thanks to Austin and his persuasiveness (and also promising her father that he would watch her like a hawk the entire trip also helped too).

Since she had called her father as soon as they landed, she didn't need to be in contact with him until later that night. She was happy about that and all she wanted to do now was explore every single inch of New York City.

She had been there a total of an hour and she loved it already.

They friends all talked a bit about what they wanted to do while they were there (Trish reminding "Team Austin" that they had to go to the venue he would be playing at in a few days to go over last minute things), when Ally turned to Austin. He looked back at her.

"Sup?" He quietly asked her.

"Can we do something on this trip, just you and me?" She asked him. He nodded and she smiled. He smiled back at her.

"Of course we can," He whispered back and she felt a rush of warmth flood her body.

The cab came to a stop in front of a building that looked older than the house she lived in and Austin quickly paid the driver. They all got their suitcases and walked out of the cab, Ally looking up at at the building in front of her and then turning in a complete circle. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then smiled.

She couldn't wait for everything that would happen next after they took their first steps inside the apartment building.

* * *

She felt a hand on her shoulder right before she stepped inside the apartment, everyone else but Trish and Dez going in before she did. She turned to see Austin hadn't gone in either. He looked away for a moment before looking back at her and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "meet me on the roof in ten minutes okay?" He pointed towards the door that said 'stairs to the roof' and she nodded, smiling.

"Okay." She whispered back as Trish and Dez exchanged a smile in between them and with that, the four of them walked into what would be their home for the next few weeks.

Ally's eyes widened and she dropped her bags by her feet, her hands going to her mouth as she took in the beautiful apartment Austin's parents were letting them use. Austin dropped his right beside hers and she turned to him, tears in her eyes and hugged him tight.

He laughed softly and hugged her back.

She closed her eyes and with that, they broke the hug and then Trish got everyone's attention.

"From this moment forward, we will all be somebody else. Not necessarily different from who we are, but we will be totally new people. When we return to Miami, things can go back to normal, but until then, let's have some fun." She winked and everyone cheered in agreement.

"I say we drink to that," Cassidy said, walking into the room everybody was in with a bottle of wine and a wine glass half full in her hand. Everyone just looked at her incredulously. "What? I like to start drinking early."

"Yeah, you raging alcoholic," Dez muttered and everyone laughed.

"A toast," Cassidy said a few moments later, after everyone had a glass full of wine in their hands, they all held their cups in the middle, Austin and Ally smiling at each other, before she continued to speak, "to a kickass few weeks and for completely reinventing ourselves."

Ally looked over to her left and saw a drawer, she opened it, "and metaphorically putting our broken hearts inside this drawer." She looked up at everyone and they all nodded, smiles on their faces.

"And also a toast for Austin's soon to be badass show," Dez added and everyone cheered.

Their cups clinked and they all drank them quickly. Just as she had finished hers, she felt Austin tug her shirt and she nodded, following after him.

"We'll uh…we'll be right back." Austin said and everyone nodded, waving them away as Jace jumped onto the couch and turned the tv on. Austin just shook his head and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"You're not gonna like, push me off the edge are you?" Ally asked Austin as they slowly walked up the stairs and finally onto the roof.

"Have some faith in me, Dawson," Austin said as he put his arm around her and then put his hand to his chest, pretending to be hurt by her words. She laughed at one of the nicknames he'd given her when they first met and cuddled her head in his neck as they both slowly walked to the other end of the rooftop.

"Then why did you bring me here?"

He just nodded ahead of them at the sun that was just setting over the beautiful view of the city, "look." He whispered and she did, her hands going to her mouth as Austin took his arm off her shoulders and she stepped forward.

"Oh my god, it's beautiful." She whispered, she looked behind him. "Is this real?"

He nodded. "Like I said earlier, Ally, it's real."

"And so romantic," Ally added, not realizing her words as soon as she said them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She already had a million new lyrics running around in her head and knowing she wouldn't forget them, she smiled at Austin.

"Perfect right?" He smiled at her.

She nodded, her eyes opening, "just perfect." She whispered back.

She saw a place where they could sit and went over to sit down, Austin sitting down beside her.

"Promise me, that no matter what happens on this trip, nothing between us changes." She put her hand on top of his, lacing their fingers, she held it tight, "promise me we'll always be us, Austin&amp;Ally, for the rest of our lives."

He smiled and then scooted closer, he kissed the top of her head and she smiled underneath him, "I'm not going anywhere."

"And neither am I, so that works." She giggled as he laughed. She looked around, "it's so beautiful, its so perfect, it's so… everything."

"Yeah," He looked down at their hands, "it is." Then he got an idea, he pulled his phone out and then held it in front of him, moving it so that they got a shot of the city behind them. "Smile."

She smiled big and then he took the picture, the moment frozen in time for forever.

* * *

Ally was sitting at the kitchen table, writing in her book fast so that she wouldn't forget the lyrics that were fresh in her mind. As she did, Trish sat down beside her. Ally looked up to give her a look.

"Can I help you?" She teased.

"How was the roof?" She asked her.

Ally looked up at Austin who was laughing with their friends as they watched football. He looked up at that exact moment and their eyes caught. She blushed and quickly looked down.

"Magical." She finally answered.

"So, does that mean you two are finally going to get together and live happily ever after?" Trish asked her excitedly.

"Pfft, don't count on that happening any time soon," Dez jumped into their conversation.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dez," Ally sarcastically said.

He pulled out a can of soda from the refrigerator and then shrugged, "what? I'm just being honest. You two have so much chemistry and have, might I add, since the moment you whistled to get Austin's attention a couple years ago. It's almost like you two are afraid to have something happen because you don't want to ruin what you already have. Which is normal, but please, for the love of god!" He got in Ally's face and took her hands in his, getting down on one knee, "make it happen before I throw myself out this fourth story window!"

He was acting so dramatic it made Ally burst into laughter. She shook her head.

"I'm not going to force it," She told him. He let go of her, "just… when it happens, it happens. I can't say I'll be completely ready, but I know for sure, I won't stop it from happening."

"Promise?" Dez raised an eyebrow.

Ally sighed and nodded. "I promise. Well, I promise as much as I can promise."

"I have no idea what that means, but I'll take it!" Dez said excitedly and then ran off to presumably tell Austin what she said, but Ally was too fast for him.

"That means you keep it to yourself, no telling Austin anything," She told him. "I want this to happen naturally, like on it's own," She blinked, "or his own, really."

"Kinda like sex." Dez bluntly responded and Ally looked at him in shock. "Meaning that it has to happen naturally and not forced."

"Right, sure, go with that." Ally said.

Trish smirked, "never know, New York City is a magical place, you said it yourself Ally, anything could happen."

"I didn't say that."

"You said your moment with Austin on the roof was magical." Trish reminded her.

Ally sighed, "yes, I did say that but-"

"But nothing! It'll be magical and perfect and you'll make us all want to puke, if not explode from feels and frustration and not the sexual kind, I think Austin's got that pretty much covered already, if you don't have some inside of you either, pun intended." Dez said.

"Uh, gross." Trish said, mentally thinking about that. "I have a boyfriend."

"And I have a girlfriend, what's your point?" Dez challenged and Trish just waved him off.

"Okay, just listen for a second," She said and Ally looked at her, "ignore this bozo and go for it when you want to okay? No rush."

"Yeah, no rush." Dez added after Trish elbowed him.

Ally slowly nodded, "something tells me you've either had this conversation with Austin or will have it with him at some point so, please, don't force anything, nobody okay? It'll just happen when it does."

"And when it does, you'll be okay with it?" Trish asked.

Ally nodded, "yeah. I will be." She softly giggled to herself and with that picked up her songbook. "I'm gonna go shower."

"Sure you don't want Austin to go with you?" Dez softly called after her. She just gave him a look and Trish smacked him in the stomach. "Ow!"

* * *

Ally hummed to herself softly as she ran her fingers through her soapy hair, the noise resonating throughout the bathroom as she gently massaged her head and let the warm water wash it out. She then opened her eyes and smiled to herself as she realized just where she was and where she was taking a shower. Though it was corny and probably weird or crazy, she was happy she was where she was.

In New York City, a place she had only ever dreamed of visiting and now, now it was reality.

After everything she and been through the year before, she was happy to get out of Miami. She needed it. She knew she did.

She had a feeling Austin did too.

She continued to hum happily to herself, so into it, she didn't hear the door open and close. Or the sound of someone peeing and then the flush. Suddenly the water went cold and she shrieked.

"My bad, Ally." She heard Austin say and her eyes widened. She felt her heart stop as she looked through the curtain only to see a blonde headed figure was standing in front of her. "Oh shit, you're in the shower, aren't you?"

"Uh, what gave that away?" She sarcastically asked him. "The sound of the water running or the fact that I was humming to myself?"

"Well, you always hum to yourself."

She nodded, realizing he had a point.

"Remember though, this wouldn't be the first time I…yeah." He trailed off and she nodded, sighing when he realized, he was once again, right. Even as romantic and amazing as he was, he was still a teenage boy. A typical, hormonal, and sometimes, annoying, teenage boy.

"Luckily for you, I'm done anyways," She said and then stuck her hand out. She could only imagine the look on his face when she stuck her hand out and pointed to a towel that was on the rack beside him. He handed her one, covering his eyes. She rolled her eyes and then put the towel around her body, stepping out a moment later. "You can look you know. I'm covered."

He slowly brought his hand down and she realized that it was kind of sweet in a way, that he had covered his eyes the way he did. She smiled to herself again.

"Sure you don't want to go in there for a few more minutes? I would have totally joined you." He winked and she felt her cheeks go hot as she blushed and looked down at her red painted toenails. She playfully pushed him and he laughed. "I'm just kidding."

"I know." She looked up at him and smiled.

"So, what was that you were humming? It sounded awesome."

She shrugged, "it was nothing really, I was just coming up with music for a new song I'm writing." She moved her eyes around the bathroom, "even though we're in here, of all places, the whole vibe of this place is so inspirational. I love it."

"Well, good, I'm glad." He smiled and she moved passed him to grab her brush from the bag that was by the sink, she pulled it out and began to run it through her hair. "I can't wait to hear the song."

She smiled at him through the mirror, "something tells me you'll hear it sooner than you think."

* * *

"Girls! Come on! It's been three hours! Dude's gotta eat!" Dez complained through the door of the girl's room as they all got ready inside of it.

"Shut it Dez!" Trish threatened and then they heard the girl's laugh. Austin did as well and he looked at him, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks for backing me up, Bestie."

"Anytime bro." Austin said as Jace walked into the living room.

"They aren't ready yet?"

Austin shook his head, "not even. We'll probably be here another hour."

"I hope not, I'm so fucking hungry," Dez said as he stomach growled. His eyes widened slightly and he pointed down to his stomach, "see?"

"You'll be okay." Austin assured him.

Dez shook his head, "I don't think so."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the girl's room, Ally was sitting on her bed, looking at the dress Austin had given her for her birthday that past year.

"What's wrong?" Carrie asked her, sitting down beside her.

"I don't know." Ally looked up and shrugged, "I know this might sound dumb or stupid, but this dress, used to be Austin's sister's. She was really the only one who could properly pull it off and I feel like me wearing it would be…all sorts of bad."

"How so?" Carrie asked her.

Ally shrugged, "I don't know. To be honest, I never knew her. I just knew from the pictures Austin showed me and from what he's told me about her that she was amazing."

Carrie smiled at her, "even though she didn't know you, I'm sure she would have loved it if you wore it."

Ally nodded, "I guess so."

Carrie motioned for her to stand up by gently patting her and she did so, Carrie holding the dress up for her in the mirror. "It looks beautiful. Perfect, even."

Ally smiled, "yeah, you're right about that."

"So come on girl, get changed, we've got a city to explore." Carrie winked and blew her a kiss as she exited the room.

Ally sighed, holding the dress up she looked at herself in the mirror. She knew that Austin had, at first, been nervous about giving the dress to her, but he had told her that he wanted to. That if his sister had met her, she would have wanted him to as well and since he had once given it to her, he couldn't bare to give it away to anybody else. Though Austin didn't talk too much about his sister, Ally knew enough to know that she was amazing.

And she hoped that someday, he would think the same of her.

* * *

"Finally!" Dez sighed in relief once he saw his girlfriend walk towards him. He immediately put his arm around her and she giggled going over to him, she softly kissed his cheek.

The door opened and the other girls came out of it, everybody except for Ally.

"Ready for it Austin?" Cassidy asked and he nodded.

"And presenting, Ally Dawson!" Trish said in an overdramatic voice as Ally stepped out of the room. She immediately locked onto Austin's eyes and she swore she saw his breath catch once he saw her.

"Wow, that dress, Ally, you look…wow."

She blushed, tucking a strand of her curled hair behind her ear. "Thanks," She smiled at him and he grinned back at her.

He held his arm out and she took it, smiling even more as he leaned in closer to her, "my sister would have loved you in it." He whispered and if possible, it made her smile even bigger.

He was just so sweet.

"Okay, ready guys?" Jace asked and everyone nodded as they all stepped out of the apartment and onto their first New York City adventure.

* * *

Dinner had been fun and good and pretty much one of the best things Ally had ever eaten, even if it was just pizza.

Next, they were going to Times Square, a place Ally had wanted to visit for as long as she could remember and a place Austin dreamed of playing on New Year's Eve. The way he had described why he wanted to always made Ally's heart melt when she heard the reason. He had seen performers perform there each year since he was a child and every time he always felt something he could quite explain and that was what he wanted his audience to feel as well; something they couldn't quite explain either.

"I heard it's beautiful at night." Austin whispered to her and she nodded, excited to finally see it in person and not in pictures or on television.

They took a cab there and as soon as Ally stepped out, she felt the magic of it almost instantly. The lights were mesmerizing, the city life busy. The atmosphere magical.

Behind her, Trish, Cassidy and Carrie squealed as she just took it in. She hadn't realized it, but her hand had slipping into Austin's as she just stood in the middle of it.

And that moment, she swore, was one of the first of many magical moments she would have as the trip went on.

* * *

"I want to perform right there," Austin said as they walked around. He pointed high above them at what looked to be a ball.

"Your dream performance." Ally smiled at him. "It'll happen someday."

"Think you'll perform someday?" He asked her.

She shrugged, "I don't know. I'm still kind of afraid to." She looked ahead at their friends who were laughing and skipping around. She linked her arm with Austin's and then skipped ahead, spinning around and throwing her hand in the air as she laughed and he laughed with her.

"Don't be afraid." He softly told her after they had calmed down, "I know you'll be great."

The look in her eyes gave him the kind of reassurance she needed and she nodded.

"Maybe if you're up there with me," She told him.

"Yeah, maybe."

She smiled and then Trish called her name.

They let go of each other and Ally skipped ahead to her best friend, laughing when she jumped on her back and Trish easily caught her.

"So, when are you going to tell her you've got the hots for her?"

Austin looked to his left and noticed a homeless man was sitting there. He shrugged, "not anytime soon, we're best friends, I don't want to ruin that."

"But you want something more." The man said.

"Maybe, yeah. You definitely gave me something to think about." Austin nodded and then reached into his pocket, he pulled out a twenty and gave it to the man. "Don't go crazy with that."

"I won't, thank you." The nameless man said and Austin could tell he was genuinely grateful.

"No," Austin smiled at him, he looked at Ally who looked back at him, her hair in her face as she had her arms wrapped around Trish's neck. She smiled. "thank you," He said and with one last wink he walked away from the homeless man.

* * *

"Okay, Austin, I want to play this for you, tell me what you think of it," Ally said as she sat in Austin's lap, between his legs as she put her fingers on the keyboard in front of her. She put them in the correct places and then she began to play the melody she had come up with.

"I love it." He responded, resting his head on top of hers, he gently tickled her stomach. She giggled. "It's very eighties."

"Well, I love the eighties, so…" She trailed off as Austin moved his chin to rest on her shoulder. He closed his eyes and sighed, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. She turned her head and he looked up at her. "You know you're like really adorable when you did that…" She trailed off again. "Stop being so damn cute." She whispered.

"Did you just curse?" He asked her in mock surprise.

She rolled her eyes.

He smiled.

She smiled.

They were officially so close she could feel his breath on hers and his lips brush hers lightly.

She was sure she wouldn't object if he kissed her.

But before anything more could happen, a light was turned on and they quickly sprung apart. Ally was still sitting in Austin's lap when Dez and Carrie walked in. Dez, with his eyebrow raised and Carrie just looking so confused.

"Do you always write songs together like that?" She asked.

Austin and Ally both exchanged a look before quickly nodding their heads.

"Always." Ally spread her arms wide, nearly hitting Austin in the face.

"Oh, okay!" She happily skipped to kitchen, but Dez stayed behind looking at them both suspiciously.

"Why are you two up so late?"

"Why are you?" Austin shot back.

Dez stared at them for a moment before shrugging and nodding, "good point, see ya." And with that he was gone.

"Did he just…" Ally began.

Austin stopped her, "don't even try to understand what just happened. It's not possible."

She nodded, "okay." She then turned to the piano.

"Play that melody you were just playing," He said quietly and she nodded, turning around before making a quick decision. She reached up and kissed his cheek. She saw him blush and then with that, started to play the new melody she had come up with on the keyboard.

* * *

Austin watched as Ally had her laptop out, a beat playing in the background as she then added her keyboards in and started singing, her beautiful voice resonating throughout the room.

"Walking through the crowd, the village is aglow, Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats, everybody here wanting something more, searching for a sound we hadn't heard before, and it said, welcome to New York, it's been waiting for you…" She kept singing and once she had finished singing what she had written so far, she heard the sound of clapping and turned startled to see it was Austin.

"That was amazing." He smiled at her.

She smiled back as he sat down at the table beside her. She didn't say anything, but after a few moments thought of something.

"Hey do you know rudiments? It's kind of a part of this song and um, if you don't know somebody who can play them, you would have to find someone who can." She said.

"Wait, me?"

She nodded.

"You want me to sing this song? Isn't kind of.. girly?"

She shrugged, "it's perfect for you. In my opinion."

He shook his head, "no."

She looked surprised, "no?"

"It's not perfect for me, it's perfect for you. Ally, I want you to sing it at my next concert."

Her heart started to beat fast as she thought of the anxiety she felt over that. The last time she performed, the last time she had somebody close tell her that. She shakily stood up and shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

"No, no I can't-I can't do that, no not again!" She stomped her foot, her hands going to her hair and Austin furrowed his eyebrows. She looked right at him and he saw a look in her eyes that he never wanted to see again, a mix of insanity and crazy. "You can't go! You can't do it!"

She then put her hand to her chest and started to hyperventilate. He would usually think it was just a girl thing and that she was causing a scene, but something seemed genuinely wrong with her. The look in her eyes, it told him that she was trying to be dramatic at all, for any reason. She was legitimately having a panic attack.

She fell to the ground and Austin quickly hurried over to her, "it's okay, Ally. I'm here, it's okay. Just take deep breaths."

* * *

"I have never seen her freak out like that, it was scary." Austin said to Trish as they let Ally sleep for a little bit. It was about forty five minutes later, everyone else had come back to see that Ally was lying on top of Austin, fast asleep.

She hadn't said anything about her panic attack. Niether did he, until he got both Trish and Dez alone after putting her down in her bed.

He saw Trish sigh and then look away. He knew then that she knew something he didn't.

"Okay, there's something I have to tell you," She said, looking right at Austin, "both of you."

Austin just told her to go ahead and continue.

"When we were in grade 9, Ally had a boyfriend. He was great and cute and he was some sports prodigy, I forget what sport, it might have been hockey, I think, but anyway, she um… they had a good, solid relationship for a while." Trish paused. "After a while, we started to notice signs, like there was something wrong with him, he was unstable, mentally and it was starting to worry us, but he denied it. Then, one day, Ally had a huge performance and he had given her this really beautiful musical note charm bracelet and had promised her after that, every showed she played, that he would get her a new one. He even promised to be there for her during the show, since it was her first one, like ever. They had gotten into a fight like right before she was going to go on, maybe it was an hour before, anyways, point is, he didn't show up and when she texted him, he just cryptically texted back, 'It's over. I'm sorry.' and after that…" Trish took a deep breath. Austin could see it was a struggle for her to tell him. Her eyes filled with tears and he went to her, hugging her tight. She just shook her head and he let go, "she never heard from him after that. At school the next day, we found out he had committed suicide that night."

For once, Dez was speechless.

And Austin was too.

Now he understood why Ally was so scared to perform. Why she had freaked out when he suggested it.

She was afraid something would happen to him if she did. Kind of how he was afraid of certain things as well.

But she wasn't the only one who had lost someone close to them from suicide.

"That's…that's…I can't even…" Dez trailed off and Austin turned to him. He held his arm out and then the three of them shared a group hug, just silent for the few minutes they hugged.

"Hey, um, what's going on?" Ally asked and the hug broke, both Dez and Trish wiping under their eyes. "What's wrong? Why are Trish and Dez crying? They never cry."

"Ally, um, can we talk? You and me?" Austin tentatively asked her.

"If this is about earlier, it's okay. I'm fine, I just freaked out because of my stage fright, no big deal." She pushed passed them, but Austin shook his head.

"You don't have to be afraid, okay?" He called after her and she stopped short.

"You don't know how I feel, how could you possibly know how I feel? You're fearless!" Ally shouted at him.

He wondered why he was suddenly yelling at him and was aware they had an audience, but he didn't care. He just needed to get through to her, break her down if he had to. He would even tell her more about his secret, if she did the same to him. Even if it meant everyone else found out as well (but Dez of course).

"I'm not fearless, Ally! You think I'm not scared? Of anything?" His tone was louder. She just shook her head.

"You're not."

"Oh yeah? Like what about the fact that I'm scared to fucking death I'm going to lose you someday. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me and if I lost you then I don't know what I would do. Honest."

She stared at him. So, he continued.

"It's okay to admit you have a fear, Ally. Everyone does." He spoke calmer, her lower lip was quivering. He went over to her and he took her hand in his, "I'm here for you, you know that. Always. I'm not going anywhere."

"You don't know that." She whimpered, angrily wiping away her tears with her free hand.

"I do. I know I'm not going anywhere." He assured her. He put his hand on her cheek and then hugged her tight.

"I don't want you to end up like him, like-." She whimpered, cutting herself off before she could say his name, her body shaking. Though there was a history of intense depression that ran in his family, he knew he was far from it. Well, actually not completely.

And he was finally going to tell her the truth.

"You know I'm bipolar?" He asked her and she shook her head, pulling away from him. "I have to take medication everyday so that I don't freak out or hurt myself or have the same thing that happened to my sister, happen to me."

"Y-your sister?" She asked.

He nodded, "she committed suicide a few years ago."

Ally's eyes filled with fresh tears and she cried again, harder.

"Ally, he isn't going anywhere, it's okay." Trish assured her. "He'll be here for you, no matter what."

"Yeah, you make him happy, isn't that a good thing?" Dez asked her.

"My ex did too and look what happened to him. He killed himself! That's how he broke up with me you know, by killing himself." Ally looked at Austin, "a part of me still hates him for it and a part of me, can't anymore. As mad as I am about him not saying goodbye, I have to let go, I have to move on, but it's hard!" She yelled her hands going to her hair. "I can't forget about him!"

"You don't have to," Austin assured her. "He's always going to be a part of you, in your heart. That's never going to change. You'll have him with you forever and all your memories and everything."

"And what about my mom?" Ally whimpered, turning towards him. "I don't have any memories of her."

"You don't need them." He assured her. "She left you, that's her problem, not yours." He then hugged her tight, "when you hug somebody it means you care about them," He whispered into her hair and then he kissed the top of her head, "but I more than care about you, Ally. And I think somewhere deep inside, you know that. And you know it's true."

She nodded and then hugged him tighter, crying into her chest.

He looked around, "we all care about you, Ally." He said softly. He looked at Trish, who had been crying and nodded for her to come to them, doing the same with Dez and everybody else. "You're not alone." He whispered into her hair and then everybody shared one big group hug that had her laughing and giggling by the end of it.

* * *

Ally found Austin sitting on the couch in the living room, by himself, strumming his guitar, Luna. She still didn't understand why he named it that, or why he named it at all, but she had figured long ago that it was something she was never going to understand.

"Hey," She said softly as she sat down beside him.

"Hey." He responded back. He continued to strum and she smiled a little bit.

"Thanks for helping me with my um, you know, breakdown earlier."

He nodded, "you know I'm always here for you." He put the guitar down by his side and gave his full attention to her. It was silent between them, when Austin looked outside and saw that the sun was setting. He stood up and motioned for her to follow him. She did and they were soon back at their spot on the rooftop.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before turning towards him.

"I'm sorry about your sister."

"I'm sorry about your ex." He responded.

"I guess we had more in common than we thought, even as different as we are." She said and he nodded.

"Guess so."

It was silent in between them again.

"I don't want to be afraid anymore," She said, her hand reaching for his, she pulled him towards her and he was then pressed against hers. She let her other hand trail up his neck to cup his cheek and she looked right at him. Then, with the sun setting behind her, she reached up on her tip-toes and kissed him, at first softly and then deeper. He tenderly responded back, until she pressed her lips against his more firmly and pulled him closer, her arm wrapping around his neck as his hands went to her waist to hold her in place as they slowly broke off the intimate kiss.

She just closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his, thinking about the moment and thinking about him.

She was finally ready to move on.

* * *

She had talked to Trish about two days before Austin's concert and had asked her if she could perform her new song. Trish, of course had happily agreed and then so that Ally could finish writing the second verse and the bridge, insisted that she and Ally, along with Carrie and Cassidy had a girls day in the city. She had agreed and that was what they were up to as Austin went to rehearsals with his band.

"You kissed?" Cassidy exclaimed excitedly. "You and Austin?"

Ally blushed and nodded, looking down at her frozen yogurt. "It was perfect. The sun was setting and the city was below us and though there were cars beeping, it was still just as magical as I thought it was going to be."

"Awww," Cassidy and Carrie gushed together, while Trish just smiled.

"Well, I am happy for you," Carrie said, "though now, Dez owes me ten dollars." She giggled behind her hand and everyone laughed with her.

"So, what are you guys going to do now?" Cassidy asked her.

She shrugged and looked at Trish, "I think I'm ready to move on." She said it softly. "It's just hard, you know?"

Cassidy nodded, "I can't imagine how you must feel, but I get it. I agree with it. You needed time."

"And guess what all that patience did for you?" Trish said, her hand going on top of her best friend since age five's hand, she smiled at her. "It got you an amazingly, romantic, awesome guy."

Ally smiled at her, "you just don't think…" She trailed off not wanting to say his name, but Trish understood what she was asking immediately, "it's not wrong is it?"

"No sweetie, it isn't wrong at all," Trish assured her.

"A small part of me is scared because everyone always leaves me, you know? My mom…." She paused trailing off again. "I just don't want him to leave me behind too."

"He won't." Cassidy assured him. "He's not going anywhere."

"And remember, he lost his sister the same way you lost your boyfriend," Trish pointed out. "I think he's afraid of the same thing, but with you. He even said he was, remember?"

Ally nodded and then took another bite of her ice cream, she looked around the small cafe they were in and then at the city outside of the window. She thought of the first day they had gotten there just two weeks before and then it hit her like a lightening bolt from the sky; the second verse.

She pulled out her songbook and then quickly wrote them down. She looked up at her friends and smiled.

"I have the finished song."

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Cassidy asked, speaking up for everyone, "let's go find Austin and get rehearsing for your performance!"

Ally laughed and with that, they stood up and left the cafe behind as they all linked arms and walked towards the studio Austin was rehearsing in.

* * *

The studio door opened and Austin looked up to see Ally, Trish, Cassidy and Carrie walk in. He took off the headphones he was wearing and with that, walked over to Ally. She had sat down on the couch, but then stood up to kiss him. He kissed her back and they both smiled, before sharing another kiss and then breaking apart.

"What's up guys?" He asked the girls. "Or ladies, since none of you are Dez or Jace."

"Yeah, where are they?" Carrie asked him.

"Dez went to go get us food and I think Jace is in the bathroom or somewhere pranking somebody, I'm not sure." Austin responded and Ally giggled. She then looked behind her and her friends all gave her the thumbs up of encouragement. She turned to her sort-of-but-not-yet-official-boyfriend.

"So, I decided something," She said, taking Austin's hand in hers. "Well, two somethings actually."

"What's that?" He asked her.

"The first is that I want to perform the song at your show in two days, if that's okay."

He smiled, "of course it's okay."

"But only if you're up there with me."

He nodded, "I didn't find anyone for the rudiments things so I'll do it. I'm a fast learner anyways." He shrugged.

"Awesome," She smiled and then said the second thing, "the other thing is that I'm ready. I'm ready to move on, I'm ready to be with you." She looked right at him and then pressed her forehead against his. "I don't want to run away anymore."

He smiled and she smiled back, before they shared a passionate kiss.

"Awww!" The girls behind them gushed as the door opened and Dez, Jace and someone familiar (mostly to Austin) walked in.

They quickly broke apart and Austin's eyes widened, "no fucking way!" Ally playfully smacked him.

"Look who we found wandering like a lost duck outside," Dez said.

"Lost duck? More like a lost giraffe." The nameless guy said and then he held his hand out toward Ally. "Hi, you must be Austin's girlfriend, I'm Rocky, Austin's cousin."

"Rocky!" Carrie squealed and then wrapped her arms tightly around him.

He looked at everyone confused, "who is this chick?"

"She's my girlfriend, she gets over excited when meeting new people sometimes," Dez apologized, "come on, babe, release!"

Ally laughed, "it's nice to finally meet you Rocky. I've heard a lot about you."

Austin nodded, "I just talk her ear off, seriously, it's unhealthy."

Rocky laughed, "can I see you do your thing? My mom told me you'd be in town and I actually got in touch with Trish," He looked at her and she waved her phone in the air, smiling at Austin's questioning gaze. "It was a surprise kinda thing, if you were wondering."

"I was, thanks for clearing all of that up." Austin responded. He hugged him, "thanks for being here, it means a lot."

Rocky nodded, "yeah, of course. I know it's been tough ever since…" He trailed off, "but I'm here for you and it's cool. You're back and that's cool too. I wanna come to your show and see you kill it. She would have been proud of you, trust me."

Austin smiled at him, "thanks. I needed to hear that." He put his arm around Ally, "and so did she." He added. He didn't explain further and Rocky smiled at her.

"You're the songwriter, aren't you?"

She nodded, "names Ally, nice to meet you…again."

They both laughed.

Ally then turned to Austin excitedly, "I have the finished song and I want to play it. For the first time, with everyone we love and care about here with us."

He nodded, "then let's go for it." He winked and with that, she took out her songbook, positioning herself behind the keyboard, she played the opening as Austin stood by the drum pads and started drumming the beat she had on her phone. After a while, Dez took over on keyboard (a surprise to all of them, but Austin, Ally, Trish and Carrie) and she sang her heart out as she moved around the small space.

As soon as she had finished, she opened her eyes and then everyone applauded for her, tackling her with hugs.

"And that's what I like to see!" Rocky cheered, high fiving her as she just laughed and jumped with her friends.

* * *

"My mom called me back." Ally looked up from her phone.

She had been lying with Austin in her bed, when they both fell asleep and she was woken up by her phone vibrating.

"You called your mother?" Austin looked at her confused.

She nodded, "she lives here, I found that out one day when my father wasn't home and I decided to snoop. Anyway, I want to see her, just to get some answers, but I don't think I should. I'm afraid to."

"Don't be afraid." He assured her. "Do you want me to go with you?"

She shook her head, "I think this is something I need to do by myself."

He nodded, "if you think it's right, then go for it."

She smiled softly and kissed him. "Okay." She whispered. "Thanks."

He nodded, rubbing her arm, "anytime."

* * *

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, stepping up to the door, she looked behind her as if she expected somebody to be right behind her and then turned back towards the door. She knocked on it and waited for the person on the other end to answer.

"Can I help you?" The door opened and a middle aged woman raised her eyebrow.

"Um, yeah," Ally nodded, she held out her hand, "I'm Ally, I'm your-I'm your daughter."

Her mother's eyes widened, "you're my-" She trailed off, "I'm sorry I didn't expect you to come visit me. Why are you here?"

Okay, rude. She thought, but she wasn't going to let it get to her. Her father's words about her mother bounced around in her mind. And then she looked at her, confused.

"Didn't you call and say you wanted to see me?" She asked.

Her mother's mouth opened and she slowly nodded, but before she could say anything, a man stuck his head passed her shoulders.

"Who's this?" He asked.

"I'm-" Ally began, but her mother cut her off.

"She's just a salesperson, looking for a product to sell me," She said quickly and Ally tried not to let the hurt show on her face. "Will you go get Charlie ready? I'll be out in a minute." She shut the door behind her and with that, turned to Ally.

"Why did you just lie to him?" She asked her, as she was then grabbed by the arm and forced down the steps of the stoop. "Ow! Why are you-"

"Look, you need to leave," Her mother let her go and Ally stepped back to give her a long hard look.

"I need to-you wanted to meet with me!" She yelled at her, "what is your problem?"

"My problem is you," Her mother curtly told her. "You showing up unannounced and for what reason?"

"To meet my mother," Ally's eyes filled with tears. "Turns out she's just self-centered bitch who left her daughter when she needed her the most." She stepped closer, "don't you regret that? Leaving behind a vulnerable two year old, a child you were supposed to love and care for no matter what?"

"Only issue with that is I never wanted you, you were a mistake. That is why I left."

Ally tried not to burst into tears over that and instead kept her cool, "or was it because you were cheating on my father? Either way, I see you now for who you really are. I thought I would give you a chance to prove me and dad wrong, but that was a waste of time. You're a bitch. I hope you have a great life with your husband and whomever Charlie is. I hate you and I never want to speak to you or see you again. Go to hell." With that she walked away from her mother, for good.

And she didn't even bother to let her explain. She didn't want it.

* * *

"Hey how did-" Dez began as soon as Ally opened the door, but she shook her head and ran passed her friends and into her bedroom. She closed the door and everyone looked at each other as Austin quickly got up from his spot on the floor playing a game of UNO with Cassidy and went into the room after her, thankful that it wasn't locked.

"Ally?" He said softly as he watched her angrily throw her scarf and coat onto her bed. She sat down on Trish's bed and brought her knees up to her chest, covering her eyes with her hands. She shook her head. He sent down beside her and put his arm around her, hugging her close.

"She never wanted me," Ally told him, her voice barely above a whisper. "She said I was a mistake." She cried harder, her head going to his chest and he just stayed there with her, running his fingers through her hair as she just cried. He didn't leave her and she took comfort in that.

* * *

"You ready for this?" Austin asked Ally as they stood backstage, she heard the fans screaming and chanting his name. He handed her a bedazzled sparkly mic. She took it from him and tilted her head in question. "It's a good luck microphone," He explained. "You're totally going to kick ass."

She smiled and then hugged him tight, "thank you for yesterday," She whispered and Austin hugged her tighter.

"You know I'm always here for you."

"I know." She smiled and then they broke the hug, staring at each other for only a moment before their lips were pressed together in a soft and gentle kiss.

Austin broke away from her, "I gotta go onstage and introduce you, but don't worry, you're going to kill it." He kissed her again and with that, she was released and she turned to wait for cue. She stood behind the curtain and saw Trish, Carrie, Cassidy, Rocky and Jace wave to her, giving her thumbs up for encouragement. She took a deep breath and then nodded.

She was ready. She could do this.

"Hey everyone! Thanks for coming out…" Austin's voice faded away as Ally thought of the song and all of her experiences.

The first night there.

The first time she and Austin went exploring around the city, through the park, through Times Square, everything.

When Cassidy told her she was lesbian and Ally had just hugged her tight and told her it didn't change anything, that she loved her anyway.

When she met her mother, when she had her breakdown and finally told Austin what she had been hiding for so long.

Writing this song just opened up her eyes to all that was out there in the world, outside of Miami. She was a new person, still herself, but a more improved version.

And as Austin said her name, she smiled, ready to take on the world.

Truthfully, she was ready to take on anything.

* * *

She took her spot beside Austin onstage as they quickly did their special handshake they came up with when they met, and then he winked at her.

Austin began to play the beat on the drum pads he had in front of him as Dez began to play the keyboard.

She high fived Dez quickly and then waited for her cue to begin singing.

It came sooner than she had expected.

The lights were still dim as she began singing the first verse, "Walking through the crowd, the village is aglow, Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats," She leaned back and put her leg up, then put her leg down as she stood up and pointed around the theatre, "everybody here wanting something more, searching for a sound we hadn't heard before, and it said, Welcome to New York," She spread her arm wide and everyone cheered as the light moved to show her, Austin and Dez. She smiled and then went further up so that she was almost at the edge of the stage. "it's been waiting for you, welcome to New York, welcome to New York…" She smiled as she thought about the first day in the city, when everyone and dropped their bags by their feet and had a glass of wine. She sang the second verse, clapping along with the beat and then she spun around, laughing when her hair covered her face.

She finished the song, her arm up in the air and a big smile on her face as the crowd cheered for her like crazy. She looked behind her to see Austin was there and he immediately ran to her, picking her up, he spun her around as Dez joined them. She laughed and hugged him as well.

"Wait," She said, looking at her other best friends, "I want to invite all my other friends up here, Trish? Jace? Cassidy? Carrie?" She motioned for them to join her and they did. "Without them and there constant support, I wouldn't be here today. So, thank you." She looked around, "I love you guys." She laughed when she squeezed Trish and Austin close, her other friends joining the hug.

"Everyone give it up for Ally Dawson!" Austin announced and everyone cheered like crazy. "I knew she could do it."

"And so did we," Trish said to Ally and they shared another emotional hug.

"You totally kicked ass!" Rocky high fived her and she laughed giving him a big hug.

"Thanks for being here," She said to him and he nodded, smiling and hugging her again.

"Alright my turn," Austin teased and everyone laughed as he led her backstage and then before she could say anything he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. She smiled into it and kissed her back.

"Now I'm sure of it," She said, breaking away, but only by a little bit as their friends pushed passed them to go back to their seats.

"What?" He asked, tilting his head to the side adorably.

"This place, is magical, you're adorable and now I feel like I can do anything. With you, right here by my side." She smiled big and he smiled back.

"I know you can." He whispered and then they shared another passionate, loving kiss.

It couldn't have been more perfect.

* * *

"Guess what, Austin?" Trish said, waving an envelope in front of his face a few days after his show and Ally's amazing debut performance.

He reached up to grab what she was waving in front of him.

"Nah-ah," She teased and Austin just gave her a look. She gave it to him and he quickly opened it, reading it, his face lit up and he looked at Trish in shock before quickly hugging Ally.

"What's going on?" Dez asked, walking into the room with Carrie behind him. Cassidy and Rocky, who were talking just a few feet away joined them, Jace soon doing the same.

"It's a letter from the head of the guy who gets the New Year's acts together," Austin was still in disbelief, "he wants me to perform in Times Square on New Years!"

"No way! That's what you've always wanted!" Dez high fived him and then hugged him.

"Congrats bro!" Rocky added, hugging him as well. "She would have been so proud," He told him, referring to his sister and Austin nodded.

"I know."

"See? This place is magical," Ally smiled, looking around at their friends. "All our dreams are coming true," She looked right at Austin and he smiled at her.

"Yours are just beginning," Austin said quietly and he leaned down to softly kiss her before they read the letter over again together.

And as Ally looked around at where she was and whom she was with, she realized that even though she'd someday have to go back home to Miami and though she had changed a bit since going to New York, right in that moment, where she was, was all she had ever wanted and where she ever wanted to be.

It was magically perfect.

* * *

_ I didn't put the names of Austin's sister or Ally's ex-boyfriend for a reason. But I'm sure you guys can guess what their names are anyways. _

_Reviews would be amazingggg and magical (and as my cousin says, majestic, haha). So, yeah, tell me what you think! Here or on twitter. _

_My username is jessier529, if you dont already have it. But I'm sure most of you do by now ;) Haha. _

_Much love, you guys rock! xx_


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